World's largest stock exchanges

(Reuters) - NYSE Euronext (NYX.N) (NYX.PA), the world's biggest stock market operators, has stepped into the bidding for Italy's bourse, the Wall Street Journal said, squaring up against the London Stock Exchange.

Following is a list of the world's biggest share markets by total value of share trades, based on 2006 data from the World Federation of Exchanges industry association and before the completion of the merger of the NYSE and Euronext.

(figures in trillions of U.S. dollars)

1. NYSE (NYX.N) (NYX.PA) $21.79

2. Nasdaq Stock Market $11.81

3. London Stock Exchange (LSE.L) $7.57

4. Tokyo Stock Exchange TSE.UL $5.82

5. Euronext (NYX.PA) (NYX.N) $3.85

6. Deutsche Boerse (DB1Gn.DE) $2.74

7. BME Spanish Exchanges (BME.MC) $1.93

8. Borsa Italiana $1.59

9. Swiss Exchange $1.40

10. Korea Stock Exchange $1.34

11. OMX OMX.ST $1.33

12. TSX (X.TO) (Toronto) $1.28

Source: World Federation of Exchanges Web site

www.world-exchanges.org